Nostalgia. Procrastination. Peace.

Those three words sum up this moment.  I was supposed to be studying while my husband is at church helping clean up the grounds for our Old-Fashioned Homecoming tomorrow.  My plans have been thwarted.  I began by starting a pot of coffee and paying bills online, and ended up cleaning a huge mess when I heard something that sounded like  water dripping.  I went over to the kitchen, and lo and behold, there was coffee everywhere! It covered the bar and had formed small coffee-falls over each side onto both carpet and linoleum below.  After a mini heart attack and some towels, I finally sat down to finish paying bills, and now I'm writing a blog.  It's quite humorous how I think I can stay on task.

I moseyed over to check facebook, and saw pictures of people I haven't seen in what seems like ages now.  It made me want to return to those times, since I've been surrounded by so much stress lately.  And with our church's Old-Fashioned theme for homecoming, I again contemplated why we long to return to another time.  Why is the idea so appealing?  And then it hit me: we long for a simpler, less complex existence.  We forget that those times had problems of their own, and the technology we complain so much about now has solved some of those problems while creating a few others.  In a nutshell, no one is content with any circumstance in any era unless they know the One who placed them there.  The one factor that has remained the same throughout time is our need for our Savior.  Everything else may change, but Jesus Christ is the same- yesterday, today, and forever!  (This reminds me some of our bible study last night (the first of many!) that went so well.)

So, while I drink this hard-earned coffee and think about studying :) I will be grateful for the peace I have in the midst of the chaos.  I may falter, but the Word of God is there to help me up and back on my way.  He shall be a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.  Let the Lord light your way today too.  Don't stumble when He's so willing to guide you.

Fuel for My Spirit

I just failed my liver/pancreas/gallbladder test.  I failed myself by not studying more.  I only used the weekend, and should have studied each night of the week, too.  I know this.  I can only blame myself.  I count it as a lesson learned, adjust my priorities, and study smarter for next time. 

While I had a freak-out "oh Lord I'm going to fail and let my entire family down and have to start all over and how will I pay for this and can I even do it again" moment, I quickly reined in those thoughts and cut to the heart of the issue.  I'm exhausted.  Mentally and physically, yes.  Emotionally, yes.  But most of all and most importantly, I'm spiritually exhausted.  I've been feeding my body and cramming material into my mind, but I've mostly neglected my spirit.  My spiritual starvation is affecting my mood, my interactions with others, my level of stress, and my lack of self-discipline stems from it.

So, I talked to our preacher yesterday, and I will start a weekly bible study next Friday night at the church.  (By the way, I plan on using What the Bible is all About: Bible Handbook KJV by Dr. Henrietta C. Mears to guide the study.  Chris and I picked up this gem at the Billy Graham Library when we were in Charlotte.)  I will study up for each lesson every morning.  This will not only prepare me for the weekly lesson, but prepare me for each day.  I always have a better sense of self-discipline when I have my walk on track with the Lord.  My time management skills will need improvement, but my time is sufficient when I start it out the right way.  It's almost like tithing my time.  I never fail to have "increase" of time when I "tithe" a portion of my day with the Lord.

So my tentative weekly agenda looks like this right now:

And if you don't see anything marked for times after class Mon-Wed, those are flex study times.  I can't say what specific hours, as it depends on what happens or needs to be done that day.  Just know if I'm not running errands or cooking/laundry, I'm going to be studying.  This semester will not be the end of me.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! I can and I will.

A Lot Can Happen in 10 Days

So, it's been 10 days since I last posted.  I didn't mean to go that long, but life will continue on, regardless of our plans. 

I have attended classes and clinicals, and received some unexpected blessings along the way.  We are currently studying the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas.  My brain wants no part in this.  But I will get it.  I loooooove clinicals.  After the spring semester, I never thought I'd be able to say that, but God has blessed me with an instructor I can learn from without the fear of every moment being tainted by someone waiting to catch me doing something wrong.  I love my group, too.  We have an awesome dynamic, and I will be sad to start psych clinicals in two weeks.  Five weeks of this semester is already gone; how crazy.  It's unsettling how much I have to do in so little time.

Tomorrow, I have my ED rotation.  I'm nervous, but I'm excited to see if it's something I will enjoy.

For tonight, we have just eaten dinner.  Ordinarily, that wouldn't be a spectacular accomplishment.  Only tonight, it was served on our new-to-us dining table that we were blessed with.  A classmate of mine heard of our need for a bed, and connected us with her dad, who had a bed he was going to toss out.  We gratefully went to pick up the bed, and left with a mattress cover, bedding set, a toaster oven, and a dining set.  I am so thrilled!  It amazes me that God not only provides our needs, but our wants too! 

Back to Reality!

Okay, sorry it has been so long since I have posted anything.  The hubster and I just returned from our mini-vacay in Charlotte.  We went for the Skillet/Papa Roach/Shinedown concert, and also worked in a visit to the Billy Graham Library and a Revolutionary War reenactment.  Well, we didn't stay for the reenactment, but we toured the Latta Plantation and got some great pictures.  I'll try to post some of those pics in the next few days.

I felt like we were on our honeymoon all over again.  We walked all over the place, chased the wind where we wanted to go, and even had our own little tailgating party in our hotel room.  (So proud of my CLEMSON TIGERS, by the way!)  But my favorite part... the bed.  Our poor bodies relished the comfort of the bed in our hotel room and loathed the trip home lol.  In fact, I think Chris is over there adding mattress sets to his hopes and dreams list as I type this.

The long and short of it.... We were able to forget our adult responsibilities for a couple of days and act like kids.  We were refreshed.  And now we're home.  It pushes me to buckle down in my studies.  Our next opportunity for a getaway is after I graduate. 

But... my birthday is Saturday.  That means Christmas movies, chicken wings, and smores.  Yes, that is my request.  And I think I'm done for the night.

My body and brain are tired, and I have real life to return to in the morning.  Good night!